Safety attachment for switch-stands.



A. FARRAR. SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR, SWITCH STANDS.

APPLTCATION FILED JAN. 6,1916.

PatentedSept-L 5, 1916.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIQE.

AsA FARRAR, or JhoKso'NvrLLE, FLORIDA.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR S W ITGH-STANDS.

Toall whom it may emu-era v Be it known that I, ASA FARRAR, a citizen of'the United States, residing at Jacksonville, in the county of Duval and State of Florida; have invented certain new and use- .ful Improvements in Safety Attachments for SWitch-Sta11ds, otwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in safety-attachments for switch-stands, the object being to provide a locking device by which each workman is provided with a means of controlling it, so that the switch cannot be turned until every workman pro-' vtded with this means of'protectlon hash'ad 3 his part in releasing the lock of the switch.

Many accidents have oclina'ed which have caused workmen either severe injury or death, due to the opening of a swltch and the train or locomotive coll ding with the war or cars on" the siding; on which men have been working, or in whichthey' have been living; and this invention has been devised to preclude the possibility of any such accidents.

\Vith these objects in view, my invention comprises two bars pivoted together and constructed for attachment to a-switch.

This attachment is adapted to receive individual locks arried by each workman having anything to do with a car on the siding or switch. Each lock has an in dividual number, and the worknian has a key for his own lockwhich will fit his look only, and a record of which is kept at the railroad ollice. So it 1s within the power of each workman so provided to protect him self, as provision is made for any number of these locks to be applied to the attachment, making it impossible for the switch to he turned until the last lo'ck has been re-v moved. The ollice keeps account. of each lock (by number) "and the work-manv who Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 6, 1916. Serial No."iO,686.

. Patented Sept. 5, i916.

A and Bare two plates, the former of which is folded into U-shape' in er'oss-sec-- tion. it beingadapted to fit, receive andinclose the plate B. The pin 1 pivotally con nects the plates together at one end, and a clevis 2 is'connected with 'the pin to receive the chain 3 by which it is attached to the switclrstand fl. The'pivoted end ofjplate B is rounded off at one corner, and the opposite corner is adapted to engage the inner I wall of the U-shaped plate B when the attachment is swung open, .(as shown in Fig.

3) when the two plates are approximately at right-angles or capable of swinging substantially at right-angles toeach other.

PlateB has a hook 6 on its free end ada pti ed to recelve the staple of the switch, and

this hook is closed and housed by the U- shaped member when the plates'are in their normal posit-ion.

A plurality of holes 7, 7,- are formed through both plates. and these are brought into registry when the attachment isin its closed or locked position.

Numbered pad-l.

locks 8, 8, are inserted through these ho es and fzystened tohold the attachmentonthe -switch. These pad ocks are each givensa different number, and as the keys are-necessaril'y all different, there is a correspondingly-numbered key which fits each lock.

Each workman on a siding or switch, who

would be interested in the locking of a switch, is provided with a padlock'zynd key, for which he is responsible, and which is his means 'of protection against accident.

Vixen he goes to work, the first thing he does is to fasten his lock in one'olthe holes in the plates A. and B, where it must remain until he himself unlocks it. There may be one, or a dozen, or as high as fifty or one hundred \vorknien interested. aiuleach one places his lock in the attachment. so that tht'. last one to remove his lock is always protected, as thdswitch cannot be thrown until the last lock has been removed. lhns a means of safety for each individual work man is provided, so that he is not dependent on any of his fellows to insure his safety. In this way, not only is protection allorded for the life and limb of the employee, but also the employer has an effectual means of protection against responsibilitv' and daInage-suits, as theworkman himself has wlthin his own control the means for hissafety. ()ne of the holes 8 and. plates A and B iiig'ht be large enough to accommodate the.

regular standard switch-lock in the event that it'is found desiralile to use the attach meat onregular siding switches and to keep it inched with the regular switch-lock, thus permitting the use of the individual locks by the workmen just the same without the nemssit v of wrenmving the regular'switeh lock.

In nearly all switch-stands. the staple for the switch-lock is: of sullicient size to permit the use of the attachment in the staple when the snitch-lock is alreiuly through the. staple; hilt as some switch-stands are titted with very small switch staples, which would not permit of the hook of ti 2 attachment in addition to the lock already through the staple. h v making; provision in the attachment for one hole large enough for the regular switch-lock to he used. it would overcomean dillicultv in using the attaelnnent at an point. and would make it practicable to use'the attachment on a line of roadswitches as well as in shop and repair yards.

lhl 1 ,197,020

2. A switch-attachment comprising two plates pivotally connected together at one end and having holes adapted to register with each other. one plate havin a hook at one end, and the other plate adapted to close said hook when the holes of the plates are ,in registry, and individual locks adapted to be fastened in said registered holes whereby each workman provided with a lock is allorded his own "1021113 of safety and the plates are held together until the last look shall have been removed therefrom.

3. An attachment for switches comprising, two perforated plates pivoted together. one U-shaped in cross-section', and the other flat and provided with a hook at the free end which is closed by the U-shaped plate when the two plates are in normal position and the holes are in registry, and locks adapted to he inserted. in the holes, each lock adapted to he in the possession and control of a workman. whereby the attachment can-- not he released from the switch until ever lock has been removed therefrom.

A. A switch attachment comprising two members hingedly connected at one end and one having, a hook adapted to be ensheathed in the other, both having a plurality of registering holes to removably receive individually controlled locking means.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signatin-e.

ASA FARRAR. 

